Hey all! So excited to see you here. My name is Sydney and I'm a '24 passionate about energy, education, the environment, and economic policy. I grew up in Southern California, but have also lived abroad in Gibraltar, Spain, and the Philippines. When not blogging or working at McNutt as a Senior Admissions Fellow, you can catch me involved in the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Energy Justice Clinic, and Greek Life. I hope my blog can give you a window into Dartmouth from a student's perspective.
Academic Program
Majors in Economics and Environmental Studies, Minor in International Studies
Taught by Professor Tine, this class focused on many interdisciplinary topics within the field of education. I loved learning about the significance of early pre-K interventions on long-term behaviors, the layered complexities of the American public school system, the neuroscience behind how the brain processes new information, and much more!
As someone interested in international studies, this course opened my eyes to the complex world of global health – both the biological and social sides of achieving equity. I found this class especially applicable given the COVID-19 pandemic and often transfer knowledge from Global Health & Society into my everyday life.
Searching for Justice is a perfect blend of studying literature and law. Highlights from this course include an op-ed I produced on anti-Asian hate crimes and a fictional short story adaptation based on Japanese internment camps from Korematsu v. United States. This first-year seminar exposed me to many different court cases, and I’m now strongly considering a future career in law!
SummerClaremont, California
I spent my summer back home in Southern California, working at my high school alma mater as a Summer Fellow for their Junior Scholars program. I had a wonderful time designing curriculum for the Journalism program, planning activities for middle schoolers, and providing support in the dorms. I also spent quality time with my cousins and bonded with family by the beach.
I am an aquaphile, a lover of all things related to the water. This environmental studies course on Marine Policy was perfect for me because it dove into how humans have impacted the oceans. From coastal development to deep sea mining, we explored how to think like a policymaker and consider the many different stakeholders involved in global marine issues.
Wow, the Practice of Science Policy and Diplomacy was a blast! I was eager to get to class early every day for this Public Policy seminar. Professor Burkins introduced me to writing effective policy memos, participating in a Model Arctic Council simulation, and presenting our SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy recommendations with a state coalition.
Energy Justice examined issues of culture, power, and inequity in the necessary shift away from fossil fuels. Taught as a Social Impact Practicum, this class deepened my interest in pursuing a career in energy and environmental law. During junior year, I’m excited to continue working with Professor Kelly as a Presidential Scholar researching justice and accountability in corporate energy systems.
During my Sophomore Summer, I really enjoyed studying food systems and accessing Dartmouth’s Organic Farm as our lab for Professor Ong’s Agroecology course. It was an incredible New England summer experience learning to visualize data in R, conducting fieldwork outdoors, and working as a team on scientific research projects. A term highlight was tasting freshly tapped maple syrup from Dartmouth’s very own Sugar Crew!
I was one of six Dartmouth Economics exchange students at University College London this term. All four of my modules—UCL’s equivalent of classes—gave me a new perspective on Economics and Geography through a British lens. Economic History was my favorite as we studied industrialization, the demographic transition, and the East Asian economic miracle after World War II. I grew a deep appreciation for how the events of our past can offer important lessons for us today and into the future.
WinterNew York, New York
Since Dartmouth students typically spend their Sophomore Summer on campus, the D-Plan allows us to take a different term off to develop personally and professionally. I spent my off-term working as a corporate legal assistant intern at a law firm in New York City. It was such a thrill to live and work in the Big Apple! With many fellow Dartmouth '24s also in the NYC area, my days out of the office were full of yummy food, catching up with old friends, and exploring iconic city sights.
Drawing upon disciplines like law, psychology, and popular culture, Writing and Speaking Public Policy was all about becoming more persuasive communicators. Professor Kalish provided us with such thoughtful, detailed feedback on our assignments and arranged for class field trips to the Jones Media Center and Hood Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the flexibility offered for our small group media campaign project, where I created a children’s book on the benefits of bringing universal pre-K to New Hampshire.
SummerMystic, Connecticut
During my junior summer, I interned as a Yale Conservation Scholar at Mystic Aquarium. Working in the Education & Conservation department, I mentored high school interns about marine science communication and public engagement. Besides attending weekly professional development workshops with the Yale School of the Environment, I also helped out with summer camps, traveling classroom programs, and citizen science projects.
I traveled to Southern Africa for the first time with Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies FSP. From conducting research on invertebrate diversity in the Namib Desert to speaking with community members at Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, we studied Namibia's socio-ecological systems. Highlights from this incredible trip include experiencing game drives at Etosha National Park, discussing ecotourism at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and learning about Namibia’s integrated coastal zone management approach with government officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Econometrics was a pleasant surprise! While I came into this statistics-heavy course without a Stata coding background, Professor Fetter’s amazing explanations helped me feel confident about the new material. I learned so much about the assumptions required for causality and now feel equipped with the analytical tools to evaluate Economic research papers in an entirely different light.
On Campus During COVID-19: Attending My Very First In-Person Class!
Up until today, I have attended all my classes at Dartmouth via Zoom. Today marked a milestone moment for me as I ventured inside a socially-distanced classroom for the very first time to attend my Global Health & Society class (an extremely timely and relevant topic given current events!)
Global Health & Society is a hybrid Geography/International Studies course open to Dartmouth students spanning all grade levels. Due to COVID-19, my classmates across all three of my winter classes have been joining our Zoom sessions from all over the world: Asia, Africa, Europe, the West Coast, locally in Hanover, and more!
I was so excited when I learned that our two professors for this class were starting to offer an in-person component for students living on campus this winter alongside the synchronous Zoom option. This course is unique in the sense that we have two distinguished professors, alongside an upperclassman TA. Professor Adams is Dartmouth's COVID-19 Task Force co-chair, a physician, and professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. My second professor for this class, Professor Butterly, is a cardiologist, health-care executive, and teacher. It is such a privilege to have such knowledgeable and supportive professors with so much expertise available to answer questions during class or in office hours. They even co-authored a book on global health called Diseases of Poverty: Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, and Modern Plagues which we refer to quite frequently for the readings.
Neighboring Novack Cafe, the Carson first-floor classrooms are a brisk 90-second walk from my West House dorm room. I enjoyed the fresh winter air and soft snowflakes falling from the sky on the way to grab a mid-afternoon coffee before class at Novack. I used my Dining Dollars (part of the meal plan), then settled down in a comfy chair for a couple hours to work on my set of weekly reading responses for International Politics.
I snapped a quick picture of the snowy steps leading to the classroom in Carson.
At 2:45 p.m., Professor Adams welcomed us eagerly into the large modern lecture hall. My eyes widened as I took my first glimpse of an academic classroom's interior as a Dartmouth undergraduate. I had seen the inside of a Dartmouth classroom once before — during my informal campus visit as a prospective freshman back in the summer of 2019 — but it felt much different stepping into a physical classroom as a student after being away for so long.
Today's lecture focused on a tuberculosis case study regarding subjects like drug resistance, the DOTS strategy, and different treatment outcomes. Of course, not everything about learning inside a classroom was exactly the same as I had remembered prior to the pandemic. We sat evenly spaced apart to maintain a safe distance while wearing our masks for the full class. After our ten minute break, guest speaker and professor of medicine at Geisel School of Medicine Elizabeth Talbot joined us on Zoom to speak about COVID-19 variants and New Hampshire vaccine allocation.
Not only did attending my global health class in-person put less strain on my eyes, but it was also super exciting to meet some of my classmates in real life for the first time beyond the computer screen. I found it much easier to participate in discussions, raising my real hand instead of my virtual one. I also finally put my school backpack to good use!
COVID-19 has taught me to appreciate the small things like creating new in-person connections while overcoming Zoom fatigue, appreciating the beauty of a simple walk outside, and striving for balance in life both inside and outside the classroom. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue my college experience and am excited to see what is in store on this four-year adventure of a lifetime!
I loved my first experience inside a real Dartmouth classroom learning alongside my peers.
Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?
As a senior, one of the most exciting things for me is my thesis project. In this blog, I describe how to approach making a senior honors thesis. As Dartmouth focuses on their undergraduate research, many students complete a thesis, so let's dive in!
